150 dead in Thai flooding

BANGKOK (AFP) - Two infant brothers swept away by rising waters in northern Thailand have become the latest victims of two months of heavy flooding that have left over 150 people dead, authorities said Saturday. The boys, a nine-month-old and his sibling aged two, are thought to have drowned when a flash flood hit the mountainous Fang district in northern Chiang Mai province late Friday night, said an official from the disaster prevention and mitigation department. Official departmental figures released Saturday, which do not include the brothers, put the number of dead at 152. , with three people unaccounted for. Flooding has engulfed 57 out of Thailand's 77 provinces in the north, northeast and central regions since it began in July with heavy rains generated by the tail end of the Nock Ten typhoon. In total, seven million people have seen their homes or businesses inundated by the rising waters, which have damaged farmland, roads and bridges. Water has receded in some areas but the department said 23 provinces remain flooded. As seasonal rains continue to put pressure on drainage and irrigation systems, it also issued flash flood and landslide warnings in 47 provinces in north and northeastern parts for the weekend.